51% Opposed To Leaving Atlanta To Form Buckhead City, New Poll Says

ATLANTA, GA — A new poll shows that a majority of Buckhead voters oppose cityhood for the affluent Atlanta community.

The research behind the poll also found that Atlanta Mayor has earned a favorable opinion from respondents in his first weeks in office and that crime continues to be the resounding concern among Buckhead residents.

The poll, sponsored by the Committee for A United Atlanta and conducted by pollster North Star Opinion Research, showed that 51 percent of those surveyed were against the Buckhead City movement, versus 40 percent in favor of breaking off from Atlanta.

That represents a swing in opinion from just June when the pollster found a 48-44 split with pro-cityhood leading. And it vastly differs from the poll results that the pro-secession Buckhead City Committee presented in October, showing 64 percent favorability to leaving Atlanta.

An independent survey by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the University of Georgia School of Public & International Affairs in September showed just under 54 percent of Buckhead residents polled wanting out while about 46 percent wanted to stay.

The difference between the June and January polls conducted by North Star reflects the results of an ongoing educational campaign and the emergence of a new city leader, Committee for a United Atlanta co-chair Linda Klein said.

“The more people learn about the consequences of a Buckhead City, the less likely they are to support it,” Klein said. “In addition, Mayor Andre Dickens has demonstrated immediate leadership and has shown Buckhead residents and the entire City of Atlanta that he is focused on reducing violent crime and uniting our city.”

Dating back to the summer of 2020, a grassroots movement citing an alarming rise in crime, particularly in Buckhead, started what would become the Buckhead City Committee — which announced a political action committee on Monday — to raise funds and lobby legislative leverage for the bills currently pending in the Georgia General Assembly to de-annex the community and start a new city.

Following a poll taken in June, North Star conducted a second face-to-face poll from Jan. 16 to Jan. 19 of 400 Buckhead residents. Results from the latest poll show that 57 percent of respondents say crime is the most important problem in Atlanta. And half of those polled (50 percent) view Dickens in a favorable light, versus only 14 percent who have a negative opinion of him.

In addition to opposition to cityhood from the Buckhead Coalition, the Buckhead Community Improvement District, several of Buckhead’s state lawmakers, Atlanta's City Council, Atlanta Public Schools, the Metro Atlanta Chamber has aided with the education campaign with the shared goal of keeping the City of Atlanta intact.

“A united Atlanta ensures the city, region and state have the greatest opportunity for continued economic growth and prosperity,” Metro Atlanta Chamber President and CEO Katie Kirkpatrick, said in a statement. “Along with our partners at the Committee for a United Atlanta and the leadership of Mayor Andre Dickens, we will continue to make the case that our best path forward is by working together and implementing constructive solutions that address the challenges facing Atlanta.”

In the meantime, Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan assigned the legislation to rend Buckhead from Atlanta and form a new city to the State Senate Urban Affairs committee — which, according to AJC.com is controlled by Democrats opposed to cityhood — effectively sidelining the bill for the time being.